Be Intentional Baby Step 19 – Create Weekly To-Do List with Free Planner Download To Manage All Areas of Life

As a reminder, the 30 Be Intentional baby steps are designed to get you on the right foot, the right track and give you energy, efficiency and organization which will propel you into a life that is able to develop an overall financially smart, happy and frugal home.

I have to be honest, this next baby step is one of my favorites. I am a planner. I didn’t use to be- and I didn’t use to be very productive, stay on track, keep to the budget, etc. Well, now I try to plan as it is an immense help to my day, week, month and year! We accomplish our goals much faster!

So I needed something to help me plan my week – this is different from my weekly schedule that we talk about here, this is the “to-do’s” and I wanted the to do’s to cover every area of life because if they didn’t, something gets neglected.

So my wonderful husband, Alex solved my dilemma last year when he created a weekly planner (again different from our schedule) that I keep in my home binder and use as my guide for the week to help me manage each major area of life!

I LOVE this one-page planner (one page for each week) and I am so excited to share it with you and I hope it is a help to you as well!

Baby Step #19

Download and Use the THRIFTY Weekly Planner

I hope that you will find this to help you ease into your day and goals even more! It is designed using the word THRIFTY. I will break it down.

T – stands for Thrifty – what are my thrifty goals for the week? I have to plan to be thrifty. What I mean is that those extra tasks that take time, but save money need to fit somewhere in my week. This can be anything from organizing coupons/clean-out coupons this week (I don’t do it every week!) or freezer foods prep day (my family doesn’t like freezer meals, but I pre-cook meats and breads/doughs to reduce meal prep time) making my own homemade products, etc. I set those task goals for the week.

H – stands for Home – what are some things I/we need to do around and for our home? This would be deeper cleaning projects, repairs, DIY ideas, etc. A lot of the ideas in this category also become the “Honey Do’s” for my sweet hubby Alex!

R – stands for Relationships – a place where I write down who I need to call, send a note to or remember a birthday/event. I am honestly terrible about sending out cards, making phone calls, etc. So weeks will pass by without me doing anything! So this way I try to at least set one or more goals on who I need to remember that week and not neglect relationships due to super busy lifestyles that many of us have today!

I – stands for Involvement – this is the part of my planner that allows me and my family to be involved in our community and church. In today’s world of the hustle and bustle, it is so easy to forget about others and being involved in the lives of others in some way. So by writing just 1-3 things down each week does not become as overwhelming and it is easier to remember.

It is often things like collecting donation items for a rummage sale or other charity event, helping out with events/needs, or any other misc. tasks that our church or other community organizations need. Sometimes it is just simply “get a box out to start filling for the next donation.”

F – stands for Finances – What financial tasks do we need to complete this week. This would be special bills to pay, reimbursements (like HSA and more), receiptorganization, refund requests, researching best prices for a future big purchase, calling around and getting best rates on something, etc.

T – stands for To-Do’s– misc. things I need to do this week! It is literally a hodge-podge of things. It is the junk drawer of to-do’s!

Y – stands for You – what are some things that you can do for yourself to de-stress and relax for all of the hard work you do! Sometimes it is just simply “take a bubble bath!” When written down, it helps someone to be intentional about taking care of oneself. You know the old addage “if you can’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of anyone else!” Which is also why the first few baby steps are dedicated to YOU!

Also on the Weekly Planner is your Shopping List (this is different than your Normal Shopping and Price Comparison List) so that you know what you need to add to your shopping that week. There is an “other tasks” spot too in case your to-do’s and other tasks grow. As wives, husbands, mothers, fathers, and workers, our lists keep growing 🙂

Finally, there is a checkbox in the bottom right corner of the page that includes the “Be Intentional” tasks that I find to be really important to a productive day and then a spot for you to add a few more specific ones to you! This reminds and allows you to check off those boxes.

One final thing….. we also have a Facebook Group where you can engage in discussions, receive encouragement and talk to others that are participating in the challenges too for more ideas! Head to the Be Intentional with The Thrifty Couple Facebook Page HERE and ask to join us there! You can also invite friends and spouses too!

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